Awesome Authors! Researching, Glogging, and Persuading
Essential Questions
How can middle school students become enthusiastic, life-long readers?
In what ways can collaboration through the use of technology help studentsconduct research and become more sophisticated readers and writers?
Objectives
Research the life of a favorite author and present convincing reasons—both in writing and in an oral presentation— why this author’s books are worth reading.
Access reliable information, take notes, and create a bibliography, using EasyBib.
Students will be able to persuade classmates to read books by your author, using a Glog—an online poster—as a visual aid in supporting their presentation.
Assignment Research the life of a favorite, award-winning author. Write a blog entry, sharing the results of this research with a audience of classmates. Create a Glog—an online poster—and use this Glog in an oral presentation, convincing classmates to read books by this author.
Procedure
Step 1:Select an award-winning author whose books you think your classmates would enjoy reading.
Step 2: Create an Easy Bib account to use in writing a bibliography on your research about this author. This must be done in school. See specific directions.
Step 3:Consult with your partner about when you will get together to work on this project. If you need help finding a partner, let Mrs. Grefe know.
Step 4:Search for reliable resources and create abibliography, using your Easy Bib account. [Each student is responsible for creating a bibliography independently.]
An article from a state database
An official author web site, a website dedicated to this author, another article from a state database, OR an article from Britannica Online
An author interview or an equivalent resource
A novel written by your author
Step 5:Research and take notes on the materials you find, looking for answers to the following questions:
Why would readers find books by this author interesting? [Note: You could include in your answer information about the genres, themes, and characters in the author’s books.]
What has inspired this author to write books?
What connections, including life experiences, hobbies, and special interests, have influenced this author in the writing of his/her books?
What other information do you think would help readers appreciate this author's books.
[Each student is responsible for taking notes independently in preparation for collaborating on the creation of a Glog.]
Step 6:Write an essay (that you will post as a blog entry), discussing the results of your research on your author, answering one or more of the questions listed in Step 5.
Step 7: Create a Glog, using Glogster, an online poster-making website. Collaborate with your partner to create your Glog. Mrs. Fuller, our Sharon Middle School Media Center Librarian, will introduce you to Glogster in school and distribute log-in information during class. Here’s the link: __http://edu.glogster.com/__
Your Glog should include the following elements:
Interview with author
Author's official website or equivalent element
Book titles with cover images
Sources of information [specific state databases you used]
Interesting facts about the author presented in an original, creative, engaging way. [See sample blogs from last year for ideas about this.]
Links to your blog entry (essay) and your partner's blog entry (essay) [See Step 6.]
Step 8: Prepare an oral presentation. Decide in what order you will talk about the items on your Glog. Note: If you and your partner are in different classes, you will each need to give your presentation separately.
Step 9:Give your oral presentation, using your Glog as a visual aid, to persuade classmates to read books by your author.
FINAL DUE DATE: Bibliography and essay (blog entry): Wednesday, December 5. Glog will be due Thursday, December 13.
The oral presentations will begin that day as well.
Researching, Glogging, and Persuading
Essential Questions
Objectives
Assignment
Research the life of a favorite, award-winning author. Write a blog entry, sharing the results of this research with a audience of classmates. Create a Glog—an online poster—and use this Glog in an oral presentation, convincing classmates to read books by this author.
Procedure
Step 1: Select an award-winning author whose books you think your classmates would enjoy reading.
Step 2: Create an Easy Bib account to use in writing a bibliography on your research about this author. This must be done in school. See specific directions.
Step 3: Consult with your partner about when you will get together to work on this project. If you need help finding a partner, let Mrs. Grefe know.
Step 4: Search for reliable resources and create a bibliography, using your Easy Bib account. [Each student is responsible for creating a bibliography independently.]
Step 5: Research and take notes on the materials you find, looking for answers to the following questions:
[Each student is responsible for taking notes independently in preparation for collaborating on the creation of a Glog.]
Step 6: Write an essay (that you will post as a blog entry), discussing the results of your research on your author, answering one or more of the questions listed in Step 5.
Step 7: Create a Glog, using Glogster, an online poster-making website. Collaborate with your partner to create your Glog. Mrs. Fuller, our Sharon Middle School Media Center Librarian, will introduce you to Glogster in school and distribute log-in information during class. Here’s the link: __http://edu.glogster.com/__
Your Glog should include the following elements:
Step 8: Prepare an oral presentation. Decide in what order you will talk about the items on your Glog. Note: If you and your partner are in different classes, you will each need to give your presentation separately.
Step 9: Give your oral presentation, using your Glog as a visual aid, to persuade classmates to read books by your author.
FINAL DUE DATE:
Bibliography and essay (blog entry): Wednesday, December 5.
Glog will be due Thursday, December 13.
The oral presentations will begin that day as well.
.